


One of Those Nights

by ilyena_sylph



Category: DCU
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-08
Updated: 2007-07-08
Packaged: 2017-10-02 20:58:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by "One of Those Nights (Tonight)" by Lorrie Morgan.</p><p>Somewhere after the <i>Graduation Day</i> storyline, Dick Grayson realizes he... needs some time with his best friend. Things don't go exactly the way he intended, but in some ways they go even better. Roy's certainly not complaining.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One of Those Nights

Dick tapped at the control panel buried in the front of the bike, telling it to call Arsenal's cell and route it to the earpiece and mike in his helmet as he roared out of Bludhaven at far more than legal speeds. He was in the suit, but Nightwing's detachment and coolheadedness were miles away. He was all Dick Grayson right now, highly pissed off--and in pain, he admitted to himself. Thank god, he knew just who to call to get him out of this mood. //C'mon, Arrowboy, answer your fucking phone... please don't be busy... I need to get out, forget... I need you, bro.//

In New York, Roy picked up his phone. Ollie had been in town and stolen Lian for the week, making him rather at a loss for what to do with himself, and so was doing something his friends would never believe and thoroughly cleaning their place. Up to his biceps in scrub-water when his phone rang he jumped, sloshed it halfway across the floor, grabbed for a towel to dry off his hands and flicked the phone on. "Harper..."

"Roy... are you busy?"

Roy blinked--_that_ voice, he hadn't expected. "Hey, man! Whassup?"

"You busy?" The question came again, and this time, Roy noticed the strain in his voice. "Nah... Lian's with Grampa Ollie and I've done my patrols for the evening, so I'm at loose ends...what's up, man?"

"It's been one of _those_ days... do you mind if I show up?"

"'Course not. "One of those days"--I need alcohol, a bad movie, and a chance to scream, or "one of those days"--so I need one of those nights where I'm not me and we go party harder than is probably sane?"

"Option 2, definitely... and no, I _don't_ want to talk about it."

"Okay, okay... don't bite my head off, short pants. Where are you?"

"Halfway to New York."

"All right. I'm going to go shower--I was cleaning, and Shut Up, I do know how. I'll be ready before you get here, and we'll go get crazy."

"I wasn't going to say anything, Hotshot. Go clean up, then."

Roy glared at the phone as it went dead in his hand. "Is it too much for him to say goodbye like a normal pers--what am I saying, this is Dick." He picked himself up, wiped up the water spilled across the floor, and headed for the shower. //Man... he sounded like he just wanted to kill something... but if he wants to party... 'S been _years_ since I got him to lighten up and go play....// His eyes lit up as he slid under the spray, thinking about the last time he'd been able to get Dick to come out and just be young--they'd still _been_ young, Donna'd still been alive, Batman had still been vaguely sane... He didn't want to think about how long ago that had been, or how far apart they'd gotten since they days they were Titans Together, unstoppable and convinced they could _win..._.

//Stop that, man. You're gonna get yourself all freaking depressed. Think clothes--okay, don't think clothes, that's entirely too gay, and he'll laugh at you if you dress up. Think about what you're going to do tonight. Think about Dick half-drunk--which is always a riot--flirting with pretty girls, maybe pretty boys...// he tried to ignore the twist in his chest that thought gave him, and went back to washing quickly, plotting out a plan of attack to take Dick out and get him relaxed.

//Maybe I can get him to tell me what's wrong eventually...// he thought as he got out of the shower, dried, and--disgusted with himself--started trying to figure out what to wear for this. He intended to hit all kinds of places, some he hadn't been to for a couple years, and therefore needed something decent... He had a _rep_ to keep, after all... He shook his head and flicked through his clothes, finally picking out his most recently-acquired outfit--he'd bought it with no idea when he'd be able to wear it, not with his baby girl around... but it was going to be perfect for this. Nearly painted-on black pants and a golden-silk shirt the sales-girl had said brought out the gold in his eyes and his hair. Not that he was paying attention, but... he needed every step-up he could get on Dick. //Quit that!// he snapped at himself. //He's your best friend, your brother, so quit thinking about the _massive_ inferiority complex you have when it comes to that frustratingly _perfect_ man. He needs you right now... and you thought you'd never hear him ever admit to needing anyone ever again... Be grateful.//

He didn't often think about that night, years ago, now, when two hurting orphans swore a vow to always be there for each other, but it was one of the constants in his life. That Dick would be there for him, and when the man would admit to needing it, he'd be there for Dick.

He shook his head, focusing, and started moving around his apartment, just waiting. He spotted his wallet and shoved it into a pocket, then kept prowling.

*~*~*~

Dick flew through the traffic, weaving through it with the careless precision that was such a trademark of his personality. Even just the promise that Roy would be there helped a little with the storm of rage and pain burning in him, the storm that every meditation technique, every exercise of strength and will Br--**he **had ever taught him could do nothing to ease. He tried to remember the last time he'd let himself relax... and was shocked to realize just _how_ long ago it had been. //God... before... before what happened to Donna, anyway... Man, I am a piece of work...//

He hid the bike in a garage they kept in the city, and took off for Roy's apartment, clothes-bag over his shoulder. He landed silently on the fire escape and stopped to stare a moment. Roy... looked good. Looked damned good... //Quit that. He's your best friend. Your brother. You swore an oath to each other. You are not allowed to bring sex into the mix.// He started letting himself through Roy's security system--just to keep in practice--as Roy went into the kitchen, and by the time he came back, Dick was half out of the costume...

"Holy _Shit_, Grayson! You _trying_ to give me a fucking heart attack?"

"No... sorry, Roy.... But that's _seriously_ sloppy..." Dick was working to keep his emotions out of his eyes -- Roy knew him well enough to guess the problem, and he _didn't_ want to talk about it. His brother-by-oath knew him too damned well.

"Please, Wonderbrat. You're one of 3 people that could _get_ through that security and would have any interest. What is that, a new record?"

"No. Took me 3 seconds longer than the last time." He finished stripping, and picked up the bag he'd had slung over a shoulder, pulling out _his_ clothes for the evening. "Not bad, Harper..." he said, eyeing the gold and black, then went back to sliding into his clothes. Equally black pants--probably by the same designer, considering the similarity in fit--fairly similar matte-black low boots, and a silver-blue silk shirt Alfred had gotten him for his last birthday.

//...oh, my god. He's going to kill me,// was Roy's first thought, though he laughed it off. "Thanks, man. I have to look good if I'm going to make sure you don't get _every_ chick's number... but damn, I think I'm still outclassed."

"Yeah, right. I guess you're driving, as my only vehicle's a little--"

"Obvious? Yeah, come on. I've got a bike downstairs."

Dick paused a minute to drag out one last item from the bag--a black leather bomber jacket--and shrugged into it.

"Damnit, Wingster... would you quit showing me up?" //Quit stopping my heart, more like... you're too damned sexy...//

"What's the matter, Arrow-breath, can't take a little competition?"

"I can take anything you can dish out, circus-boy," Roy shot back, //and wouldn't I love to...// then deliberately took a breath. "Come on, bro, let's get out of here before we decide to pound on each other instead of getting you out of here."

"No. I don't... exactly have the control to pull my hits tonight..."

Roy wasn't actually stupid enough to argue with a pissed-off Bat when he said he didn't have the control to spar. He just reset the security system, grabbed up his coat--a black hip-length trenchcoat--and headed for the door, Dick following.

The trip down to the bike was quiet, though Roy could feel Dick's anger simmering at his back. He wanted to ask... but Dick might well take off and do something _truly_ stupid if he didn't just shut up and play along, so he just headed down to his bike and tossed Dick a helmet before shoving his own on. A few seconds of messing with one of the straps as they settled onto the bike, then, "Hear me?"

"...Yeah. I hear ya." Dick came through the comm equipment perfectly.

"Cool. Hang on," Roy warned, and kicked the bike into gear and into motion in the same move, Dick's hands wrapping tight around his hips as the vigilante cursed at him through the mikes, shifting to press closer and shift his weight to help maneuver the bike through the traffic. "What, I actually took _you_ by surprise?" he asked, mock-shock over real--Dick had to be really shook up if he couldn't tell that was coming.

"Yeah, you _did_, you prick... where're we headed?"

"Club I know... good place to dance, flirt, drink--and no_, I'm_ not going to--and be anonymous. I'll watch your back."

"Bo--Roy. _Thanks_. I..."

"Shaddup, man. It's nothing. I need the break, too." He kept driving, flicking through the traffic until he hit the closest parking garage, slung the helmet on the handlebars--only to find that Dick'd already done the same, and... was trying to get his hair to behave? He snickered, and Dick shot an indignant glare at him, dropping his hand away from his hair.

"Come on, pretty boy, let's go see if your looks can get us past the line," Roy teased.

"Me? _Right_. Let's go. I want to see how fast I can get myself to something that feels like morning, because I have _no_ appetite left for _this_ side of midnight..."

Roy shook his head at his best friend's back--Dick was inspiring a lot of that lately--and led the way to the line for the club. //Why does that sound familiar...?//

True to Roy's prediction, they'd made it in almost instantly after one of the bouncers spotted them--this club prided itself on the eye-candy it provided, and with Dick along, they were shoe-ins for _that_ accolade.

Their coats were whisked away to be checked, and Roy slipped the bartender a hundred dollar bill and pointed at Dick--a pretty brunette had attached herself to his arm after one of his killer smiles--who was making a scene out on the dance floor. "Water down whatever you give him... he's had a bad week."

The bartender laughed and nodded, and Roy went to get out on the floor near his best friend, moving with the pounding trance beat--this was the reason he loved this place, more than the gorgeous women and men... The very _sound_ of the place once you hit the dance floor made it impossible to think, nearly impossible to talk... you could do nothing but _move_ with the bass beat, ride it like the tides...

He kept his eyes on his best friend and slowly, so slowly, he saw the anger riding him slip away. They were moving through the rest of the crowd, dancing with different women at almost every change in song, playing off each other to keep a little space between them and the rest of the crowd. Roy threw his head back and laughed as a gothic-schoolgirl with neon violet hair wearing more chains than fabric inserted herself between Dick and his current dance partner and laid claim to her mouth in a thorough kiss--while her startled dance partner stared in shock. After a second, he shrugged and turned to dance with the purple-girl's former dance partner, and laughed when it turned out to be a blond guy that looked far more uncomfortable than Dick was. The black-haired man flashed the blond an amused smile and went to dancing solo. //Showing off,// Roy thought--and it was true, damn it.

The redhead let himself just _watch_ as Dick cleared enough space to really perform, getting hooted at by more than a few people as he rode the beat with a flair all his own, shifting in and out of the neon lights--one of which picked a perfect second to burn out, leaving him draped in shadow. Roy knew enough about dancing to recognize moves from hip-hop, swing, a turn or three out of tango and flamenco, a few moves straight out of classical ballroom dancing... //All blended Dick-Grayson-style... he's the only person that could pull that off...//

*~*~

Dick just let himself move, keeping his eyes half on Roy as he faded into the crowd, moving with a series of pretty women that slid to and away from him. He'd been to the bar once or twice since they'd arrived, more to quench the thirst he was working up than anything--despite the fact that he _knew_ alcohol dehydrated you--it was _wet_ and it was _cold_ and the burn helped. He basked in the anonymity, the relief of being nothing but a moving, handsome body for them to play a little with, and for him to play with no strings attached. He finally danced himself into exhaustion, shirt _plastered_ to his body by his sweat, and headed for the bar again. He nearly ordered Scotch this time, but one thought of who usually drank that sent him after a screwdriver. //No, damn it. Nothing to remind me of _him_, not when I'm finally feeling better...// He downed his drink, sat at the bar for a minute or two to get his wind back, and moved back onto the dance floor. He froze for a heartbeat as he spotted Roy, body twisting to the beat, chest-to-chest with someone obviously male... //Ho.Ly. Fuck. He _never..._//

He tried to ignore the surge of _want_ and glanced the other way, finding a pretty redhead just pulling away from her partner. He slid up to join her, laughing as they moved, turning it purely _dirty_ in a way he rarely let himself use--but she was pretty, and fun, and... They broke apart after the end of the song, and Dick turned to find Roy, saw him working at doing something _seriously_ obscene with the guy he was dancing with--and white-hot fury slammed through his veins. He actually took two full steps before his brain caught up with him and yelled //Whoah! Not yours! He's not yours!!//

==Yes, he---what am I saying?== Dick shook his head, roughly, trying to clear it, then he saw Roy's head tip back and was moving again, sliding up against them and tugg--okay, _yank_\--ing at the back of the other guy's shirt. The shorter brunette looked back with a question and gulped at the look of pure fury in near-black blue eyes--he slid away from the archer with both hands pulled up to his shoulders, backed away then _disappeared_.

Roy blinked in confusion and a little frustration, then looked down at Dick, head tilted in a 'what the hell?' look that just made Dick want to shove him down and bite. He hissed softly ==Of all the times to decide you want to fuck your best friend, your sworn brother...== he snorted and pressed himself up to Roy's chest, hands slipping to his hips...

*~*~

Roy's eyes went _gold_, the usual green bleeding away to the color they were during fights, and his own hands slid down to Dick's hips in one long move. He'd been a little miffed to be interrupted during one of the most fun necking-sessions he'd had in months, but this.... This was definitely better. He'd only lusted after the man currently plastered to his body for _years_... He just moved, letting his body say what he _couldn't_, wouldn't... and couldn't keep the smile off his face as Dick moved _with_ him, body saying the same things about want and lust and need...

His hands slid from Dick's hips to his ass, pulling him closer, and Dick's arms curved up around his ribs as he pressed closer yet, pretty much cheek-to-cheek... and the look on his face came close to stopping Roy's heart. Dick looked... hell, he didn't have the _words_ for that look, but it was fucking with his head, making what little sanity he had left fly as fast as one of his arrows. He forced one hand _off_ Dick's ass to slide up his back, still moving with him--and he flicked a glance around, seeing people staring slack-jawed at the two of them. He laughed... and it got Dick's attention.

"What?" the black-haired man snapped, head coming back to look up the couple inches into Roy's eyes.

"We're making a scene, handsome... want to make it worse?"

Dick flicked an equally covert glance around, then _smiled_. "Yeah... let's play. Make it good. One more song... then shall we get _out_ of here?" That smile was somehow Robin's laughter, Nightwing's fighting, and Dick's joy as he nailed a prefect routine--and Roy smiled back.

That was the kind of smile that had been known to send Star City's thugs running in fear, but just sent lust slamming through Dick's veins--"it was in his eyes. The archer nodded. "Oh, _yeah_, flyboy. One good dance... then we are _so_ out of here."

One thing neither of them could resist was a challenge, so it surprised neither of them that the "make it good" turned this into 15 kinds of 'sex-on-the-dancefloor' and about double that of 'how _much_ can I show off here?'

Roy wasn't the natural gymnast that Dick was, which meant he simply couldn't match some of the moves Dick pulled, but he'd trained for flexibility and movement and had spent a _lot_ more time doing this.

In short, half the club was trying to pass out by the time they'd finished seeing just how much they could tease each other while putting on that show. They looked around a minute, smiled at each other with wolfish, amused smiles, then headed for the door. A girl met them with their coats and they slid out the door, and managed to reach the alley that led to the garage before they were _on_ each other.

Roy somehow got Dick pinned against a wall to _shove_ his tongue into his best friend's mouth, hungry and turned on as hell--and Dick _went_ with it, leaning into the pin as he moaned in nothing like pain.

Roy hissed and kept kissing him, body shoved hard against Dick's, zippers of his coat cold against the sides of his chest, feeling him moan into the kiss. He realized, distantly, that he had Dick's wrists in his hands--pinned against the wall--and Dick wasn't fighting _that_, either, but the part of him that was noticing things was overwhelmed by the part of him that couldn't think about _anything_ but the taste of Dick's mouth--//orange juice and vodka and _Dick_, like the smell of his skin when we spar....// He rolled his hips against Dick's, nice and slow--despite the fact that his body thought he was insane and wanted to _thrust_, hard and fast until the boiling in his blood _stopped_\--but Dick deserved better than that.

Once he needed air so badly black spots were dancing in his vision, he managed to force himself to pull away--but he couldn't get his hands to let go of Dick's wrists. He studied the gasping man in front of him, the way his chest heaved as he gasped for breath, jacket still gaping open where he'd shoved his body inside it, lips swollen and deep, deep red even in the low light of the alley, eyes--//god, _closed_!//--nothing but curves of long, black lashes against those too-gorgeous cheekbones... "Dick. Come on... I _don't_ want to do this in a damned alley, but if you don't quit looking like that..."

"Let... go of my wrists, and I'll see what I can do... Jesus, Bowhead, do you have that _mouth_ registered as a lethal weapon?" Dick managed to get his eyes open, shuddering slightly against the feel of Roy's hands wrapped hard around his wrists. The kiss hadn't surprised him--Roy _wasn't_ known for control, and he'd been teasing him--but the sheer _strength_ of his own reaction _had_...

He couldn't remember the last time he'd let someone else take control so completely. //Come on, Roy... let go of my wrists while I can still _walk..._.// He rolled his wrists, trying to coax Roy to let go--and realized half a second later it was a mistake as Roy's grip _tightened_ on them and his eyes flashed to gold truer than his shirt as his lips tightened in hunger... his knees tried to buckle and he leaned back against the wall, fighting down the spike in his breathing, //the outright panting,// a traitorous part of his mind pointed out.

"Roy... let. Go." He tried for command-voice... and failed miserably.

The archer's lips skinned back from his teeth in a wicked smile. "All right, Wing... all right... but only because I want to get you back to my apartment..." //Oh, Wing.... You shouldn't show me things like that....//

The lazy, indulgent tone and the loss of his grip struck like paired strikes to the gut, and Dick forced himself off the wall, moving towards the bike in the garage with as much nonchalance as he could _possibly_ manage to put into his stride. He wasn't going to let Roy know how much that had rattled him.

Roy hung back a step to watch, smiling at the obviously-faked assurance--it took reminding himself _strongly_ that he was _not_ a teenager anymore and that they were _not_ going to grope each other any more until they were on a bed--to keep himself from jumping him from behind. He made it to his bike and slid on, helmet going on easily as Dick curled around him from behind--and one strong hand slid down his chest, obviously aimed lower. "Dick... Dick, I need to _drive_, man...."

"Think of it as an... exercise in concentration," that smoky voice laughed into his ear as that hand cupped around his cock.

"You're the control freak, Batboy!" Roy gasped as he tried not to squirm. "I'm... impulse-driven... and if you don't _stop_ that I will crash us _both_. Play later, _drive_ now, okay?"

"Spoilsport..." How he could make a pout sound so damned sexy was something Roy was never going to understand. "Fine..." And the hand on his dick slipped away, back up his chest and to somewhere _resembling_ safe.

Roy decided that was probably as good as it was going to get, and took off. If Dick had thought they moved quick to get to the bike--the _Flash_ wouldn't be able to catch up with how fast he intended to get them back to his place. Feeling Dick pressed up against him like that, hot even through coat and shirts and very, very interested was doing _awful_ things to what little control he _had_\--therefore, getting somewhere _not_ moving was sure as _hell_ a priority.

Somehow, he managed that without getting stopped, pulled over, a ticket, or any other attention from New York's Finest, and parked the bike with a tire-screech he'd pay for later. That wasn't half as important as getting the helmet off and away, twisting around, joining his hands with Dick's to shove _his_ off and kissing Dick again. That same taste--less of the orange juice, more of himself... he felt the bike shift under them and pulled back to pant, "Off the bike. Off the bike, upstairs..."

The smug little prick had the _gall_ to laugh at him before he slid off the bike and headed for the stairs at a dead run, hollering "Catch me if you can!" behind him.

"You need my keys, you twit!" Roy yelled right back, following him at just as dead a run. Trust Dick to find a way to lighten things up while turning them both on--though he admitted to surprise that it was _Dick_ being chased... You couldn't do what they did for this long without working up some _serious_ kinks about chasing, hunting, being chased--and Dick was making headway on getting away from him.

"No I don't... well, yeah, but I picked your pockets, hotshot!"

Roy slapped a thigh, cursed, and followed, taking the stairs two and three at a time and watching Dick _move_ up the stairs, graceful even in this insanity, //God, damn, he's _Fine..._//

Dick had _just_ enough of a lead--//damn the years I smoked, I'm not as _fast_ as I used to be//--to get the security system and the door unlocked and inside, keys thrown ahead of him, before Roy could catch up. He kicked the door shut with his left foot, slammed the lock home with his right hand, and pounced, not even bothering to flick on the lights. He knocked his best friend/antagonist/teammate/partner/brother/lover to the floor--not that Dick hadn't felt it coming, couldn't have dodged it in several pain-creating ways, or countered it in even more, but he _didn't_. He went with it, and that just made some half-flipped switch in Roy's head flip _all_ the way on. He didn't go for a kiss this time--just pinned Dick down and went after his throat. His hands flattened above Dick's elbows and bodies locked together, sucking at his throat under the open collar, hips locked to Dick's and moving like they'd never gotten away from that wall. The angle was a little awkward to let him get his mouth on Dick's throat and his cock pressed to the right places, but hey, he was flexible enough for this.

He took half a second to just _breathe_ Dick's scent, spiced with sweat and so damned good... then went back to sucking at Dick's throat, seeing what noises he could drag out of the man under him.

Dick hit the floor with a gasp as 200 pounds of solid muscle landed over him--he'd been inviting it, he knew, taunting the archer in his own place like that. The chase, the sound of Roy trying to _catch_ him was somehow just what he'd needed. He accepted the pin, arched into it--yelped softly as Roy's mouth settled on his throat and the archer's hips settled between his legs--and twisted slightly as Roy took care of pinning his arms, too. He squirmed, panting, half out of his mind as Roy worked at the side of his throat

//Jesus, Roy, vampire fetish? Oh, oh, _god..._// he moaned as Roy shifted slightly, settling to put better pressure on his already-aching cock, and tried to get his arms free, wanting to get his hands on the man over him. The effort got a snarl, and Roy's mouth lifted off his throat.

"_No_ way, Wing--" Then Roy froze, and his eyes started to bleed back to green, only half-visible in the light coming in the windows. "Dick... you do want this?" //C'mon, tell me I'm right... I will never forgive myself if you don't...//

"Jesus _Christ _ yes, Harper! What do I have to do, engrave an invitation?! Get with the program, hotshot, I want you!"

Roy's lips twisted in a smile, then narrowed again, "Then why fight me?"

"I want to _touch_ you, idiot... oh. If I need you to _stop_, it's "violet". Anything less, ignore me, I'm talking because it gets you hot." //C'mon, Harper... you've got to know the idea...//

"Think so?" Roy asked even as his higher thought-processes mainly shut down. "And I did _not _ know you were that kinky..."

Dick arched himself up enough to shove his tongue into Roy's mouth in a not-subtle 'shut-up,' and Roy kissed him back for a minute, then dragged his mouth away and bit at Dick's jaw, gently.

"God, you fuck with my head..." He pressed down a little harder on Dick's arms as he nipped his way down the side of his throat--and the black haired vigilante just arched into it, moaning softly, fingers spasming with a need that obviously _wasn't_ going to be fulfilled... The redheaded archer had him, and wasn't _about_ to let go.

Roy just worked his way down the side of Dick's throat, feeling flexor muscles spasming under his hands as he pulled soft, gasping moans from the hero below him--each one just made him hotter. //That's right, Wing... make noise for me, let me know the damned Bat doesn't have you yet...// he thought--and the very idea made him bite down harder, harder than he meant to... but from the way Dick moaned, it wasn't an issue. He sucked at the bitten spot in apology, and slowly worked lower until the shirt stopped him. He licked the open line of Dick's bared throat while he thought about how to move them and get the shirt off without risking Dick getting control back. //Control...// "Dick?"

"mmm? Y-yeah, Roy?"

"We're overdressed."

"This is a newsflash?" The squirm Dick pulled off under him was probably illegal in a dozen states.

"No, shortpants. What I'm wondering, is... how do I get you naked and in my bed without risking any of your sneaky turn-the-tables tricks?"

Dick blinked up at him, already half out of his mind with his teasing, and it took a second for the question to sink in. "I... won't. This... is good..." //more than good, this is perfect...// He couldn't help a small smirk at the look on Roy's face. //Gotcha, didn't I?// He flexed against Roy's hold, but not with enough intent to break it--and let Roy feel that, too. "I'll behave..."

Roy arched one brow, a trick he'd picked up from Dick, and--there _was_ no other way to describe it--purred, "Promise?" //You never break your word...//

"I promise. I'--Show's all yours..." //Don't catch that, don't catch that!// the hero sent up a desperate prayer that Roy hadn't been listening close enough.

Roy caught it, but didn't say a thing. "All right." He convinced his body--with some effort--that getting off of Dick right now would lead to them both getting _off_ later, and pushed to his feet, sliding a hand down to drag Dick up with him. "Come on, gorgeous... let's take this to a bed." //Are you sure you're _awake_, Harper? 'Cause this feels like a fantasy...//

Dick let Roy pull him up, and ran his hands down Roy's sides while he had the opportunity, distracting himself from their movement until the backs of his knees were against Roy's bed. He got rid of his boots by stepping on the heels and could feel Roy doing the same even as the taller redhead pushed his jacket down his arms, leaving him in just pants and the shirt almost adhered to him. He'd never felt vulnerable around Roy before, not even nude next to him in the showers, but... he did now. And the crazy thing was... he liked it. Roy flung the coat backwards at the door--and the heavy jacket knocked it closed.

"Nice shot..."

"I thought so," the archer agreed as he slid out of his own coat and tossed it behind him as well--and used the keys he'd somehow picked up to flick on the bedside lights--then his hands were back on Dick's body, stealing his ability to think even as they worked on unfastening his shirt. The vigilante shuddered, trying to force his control to return, hands coming up to work at Roy's buttons--and the redhead bit his shoulder. "Nah, Dick... let me handle things. Let _me_ worry... When have I ever not had your back when it counted?"

Dick snapped his eyes open, looking up into pure gold, and shook his head. "Never...but--" //But I have to be in control, have to keep it together... 's my job...//

"Then trust me now. Let me--just let me..." Dick _really _ wanted to know what the rest of that sentence was.

"But..."

"_Robbie._ Quit stressing. I've got you..." Roy pushed Dick's hands behind his back, then stroked his hands over bared skin, down Dick's sides, the shirt hanging open, buttons completely undone.

"I don't... what about--" //I can't not give back, Roy... 's too much like using you...//

"**God** . Don't worry about _me_ , Robbie... Trust me, man. Just tell me if there's anything you don't want. I've got you, oath-brother. Other than that... _let. Go._ " Roy had a perfectly decent command-voice too, and wasn't above using it. He didn't bother hiding a triumphant smile as Dick relaxed into his hands, and slid one hand up to cup the back of his head as he kissed him again: hard, fierce, and hungry, trying to melt the rest of Dick's resistance away. With his free hand, he got Dick's cuffs unfastened, pushed the shirt off his shoulders, and coaxed it down solid-muscled arms, wondering how many times this night they were going to shift back and forth from desperate to gentle--and how it could manage to be both.

The shirt slid to the floor and Roy worked his hand between them to unfasten the simple black belt and tug it out of the loops, dropping it on top of the shirt. He managed to get his own belt along with Dick's, and dropped it as well, then broke the kiss long enough to topple Dick over onto his bed. He stopped as the other man _writhed _ to settle properly on the bed, splaying out with his wrists up over his head.

"God," he said quietly, "you look..." He shut up before he could say something stupid and joined Dick on the bed, kissing him again--and getting his answer in the soft, quiet moan he heard as he stretched his weight out over Dick's left side. He wrapped one hand around Dick's wrists, and stroked the other down the side of his chest, noting the scars under his hand, the way Dick twisted under him, and the way his kiss went pleading, //trying to hurry things?// Roy wondered. //God, 'Wing... when was the last time someone took their time with you?//

He broke the kiss to watch Dick's face as he stroked abs and obliques--and tightened his hand on Dick's wrists when the raven-haired man tried to reach for him. "No, Dick... my show."

"Roy... Roy, please..."

Roy hid his shudder at hearing Dick beg--what should be _so_ good turning his stomach at what it implied--and asked, "What, Dick?"

"Don't... don't tease..." //I don't know if I can handle it if you tease...//

"But, birdboy... that's half the fun.... You promised... am I going to have to tie you down to make you keep your word?"

//Pushy, Roy, too pushy!//

*~*~

Dick shuddered--he didn't know how to deal with this. Roy's open, fast hunger he knew, he could ride that with the best of them... but this... this slow, gentle touch... this was a danger he didn't know how to fight. He tried to break the grip on his wrists, to reach for him--and Roy just tightened his hand, told him no in a voice he barely recognized--too gentle, too strong to be his wildcard best friend, too careful to be the coyote-spirit trickster that was his sworn brother...

He let himself beg, despite how weak it made him seem, and answered, trying not to betray how much this was shaking him up--and Roy's question froze him in place, making his eyes snap open as the idea lashed like fire through his veins. //I... did promise... that it was his show... his rules... but I'll never be able to keep my hands off him...//

"Maybe... maybe you'd better..." //I'm insane... but if he wants to play like this, I'll never be able to take it unless I don't have a choice...// "Yeah. Go ahead... tie me down." Blue-black eyes stared into bright gold--and Roy kissed him again, hand coming off his side to dig for... something... up in the headboard.

*~*~

Roy'd never expected _that_ answer in a million years and couldn't help kissing him, even as he slid his hand up into the headboard, finding what he was looking for by touch.

The solid, soft nylon came into his hand easily and he pulled away from the kiss, sliding up enough to make it easy to tie off the rope and run a French bowline knot around Dick's wrist. He gave him a little slack to move in between the headboard and his wrists, but the wraps around his wrists and the knot--placed between his forearms, not his wrists--would give even an escape artist like _him_ trouble. "That okay, man? Not too tight?"

Dick twisted his wrists against the ropes--froze a second as he realized the strength of the ties--then relaxed and shook his head. "No... it's fine. You're off the nerves and the veins... that'll be fine..."

"Good. Just remember, this's me... You call safeword, and I'll have you out of those before you can blink..." The knife in the headboard was good for more than defense, and rope was... a hell of a lot cheaper than Dick's trust.

"Roy... I know. I trust you. I'm okay..."

"You're shaking... god, Dick... you're shaking..." Roy curled around him, face against his neck, hands stroking down his sides as he tried to ease the shudders running down his best friend's body. //Easy, easy bro...//

"It's all right, Bowhead. I'm fine..." //Oh, no, don't you freak out on me... don't, Harper, I'm all right...// The shudders he couldn't stop melted away, and he rolled his hips under Roy's weight, reminding him that they were both _seriously_ turned on. "I'm _fine_, Roy..." //Come on, Lost Arrow... I'll start _thinking_ if you don't move...//

Roy looked up at him and stared into his eyes for a moment, then grinned. "Yeah, man, you are," and kissed him, hands starting to slide with a different kind of intent, sliding over nerve clusters and sensitive spots, trying to wake every last nerve in his body. //Come on, Wing... let me do this...// he thought, slowly breaking the kiss to start kissing back down Dick's throat, sliding his body slowly down Dick's as necessary to keep his mouth where he wanted it.

Dick arched into the touches, forcing himself not to fight against the bonds, not to fight what--"Oh, _god..._ "--Roy was doing. After all... it felt _way_ too good to fight. He just leaned into it--and bucked //like a damned virgin!//--as Roy's fingers slid over a spot just below his arm that sent fire through his veins. "Roy..."

"Yeah, Dick?" Roy asked, hungry smile on his lips as he stroked his fingers over that spot again--just to see Dick writhe like that. He got the reaction he wanted, and did it again just for the fun of it.

"You... god, you're gonna kill me..."

"No way, man..." He went back to working lower, hitting sensitive spot after sensitive spot, but taking his time, making this just as slow and easy as he could, and watching Dick come unglued under him. Every shudder, every twist, every gasp and whimpered moan was like that moment when an arrow left the bow and you already knew it was perfect... And when Dick started to beg for more when he was still working down his chest, Roy just shook his head and stroked his left hand down Dick's side. "What, gorgeous?"

"Roy, Roy please, stop teasing... I can't..."

"Yes, you can... easy, man... I've got you... just let go... how--" Roy cut himself off, refusing to ask.

"What?"

"Nothing... don't worry about it... just shut up and let me make love to you how I want to, huh?" //Oh, fuck, I said it. I really, truly, out and out said it...// While Roy was still trying not to freak out over that, Dick curled himself up to _stare _ at Roy in complete and utter shock.

"Wh-what?" //Did you just...no, no way...//

Roy shrugged one shoulder, aiming for a nonchalant smile, but knowing it was more of the sheepish, 'don't kill me?' ones. "You heard me, man."

"Yeah, but... you..."

"Nothing's different, Dick... nothing's changed since you came in my window... Just... let me treat you right, for once, hm?"

"What do you--" Dick cut himself off, not sure he _wanted_ to know where Roy got that.

"How can you still be talking?" Roy asked in annoyance, not wanting to get into the deep stuff while Dick was tied to his bed--though, on further review, that might be the best way to _have _ that conversation.

"Natural talent?" Dick shot back, wondering the same. He was so turned on, speech should have been beyond him.

"Whatever. Just... enjoy this, man. Fast and hard later, let me do this, now..." he went back to what he was doing, upping the intensity with a stronger touch as he worked down the center of Dick's chest, trying to drive coherent speech clear out of his mind. His hands finally slid low enough to unfasten the soft black pants and ease them open, hearing Dick whimper as he did. //Yeah, that's it.... c'mon, gorgeous... stop thinking...//

He kept working a while longer, hands and mouth working Dick's body like he worked his guitar or his bow, saying without a single word just how much he loved this man, how important he was, how much he wanted him, and that Dick was safe, protected...

Finally, he left a line of sucking, wet kisses down the rock-solid, shaking line of Dick's abs until he reached the slacks' waistband, then twisted his body up and off Dick's to catch the slacks in his hands, boxers along with them, and pull them down and off. He  
caught the dress socks as he went, and tossed the pile off the side of the bed, stopping again to just stare at his best friend.

//Too damned perfect to be believed....// he thought, though without the usual annoyance that thought brought, and shucked his shirt before Dick could register that _he _ was still fully dressed. That done, he slid back up Dick's body to kiss him deep, hand wrapping around Dick's dick //hee--oh, what are you, two? Shut up// just hard enough, tongue asking entry and getting desperation back, a kiss deep enough to steal _his_ sanity as Dick writhed under him, bucking up into his hand with nothing like his usual grace. He tightened his hand--using the fluid already thick on his tip as lubricant--, kept kissing Dick, and just moved with it, riding out that desperate writhing until Dick's body arched--breaking the kiss--and hot liquid hit his chest. The scent hit his nose in the same instant, thick musk and salt-sweet, making him harder, if possible. He'd lifted his head at just the right second to see the expression of pure bliss cross Dick's face before he collapsed to the bed, and he swore his heart stopped a second.

//Oh, you needed that...// he thought gently and pressed a kiss to Dick's throat, then twisted to lick at his hand, dragging his fingers up Dick's chest to gather more of his come before sucking at them, taste as good as the scent.... //Ah, god... why _the hell_ didn't we do this years ago...// he wondered, indulging himself in Dick's taste as the man under him lay still but for short, panting gasps. Hand--and Dick's chest--finally clean, he turned his attention to Dick's face, the expression there still open in a way he never saw anymore.

*~*~

Dick shuddered, slowly coming back to coherence. He'd lost his ability to think at all about the time Roy'd quit talking to him, and could remember nothing but flashes of sensation, movement, pressure both dry and wet and so sweet... Every time he'd twisted against the rope, he'd known he was powerless here, but safe, protected, wanted... the same thing in Roy's touch.... He vaguely remembered Roy's hand wrapping around him, but after that -- nothing but sheer, blinding pleasure until this moment... The freedom and the high from the release... if he wasn't so well-trained, he'd be sobbing in relief. As it was, he let himself gasp, slowly getting his tempestuous emotions under control.

He half-opened his eyes, blinking against the lamps, and saw Roy looking down at him with the kind of expression he'd only seen from the archer when he looked at his daughter... something so tender it _twisted_ inside his chest, making him shudder. All his defenses were down... Roy's touch had shoved down every wall he had, laid him bare in a way he hadn't been for years. The touch had been so _different_ than what he was used to--which honestly, lately, was his own hand and his playthings, or nothing. He watched that look--watched it stay in place as Roy saw his eyes open--and could barely believe it. //What? Not hiding?//

That was something new, especially from his best friend. He knew the guy, and heartfelt stuff was _not _ his favorite thing.

*~*~

"Hey, man..." Roy said easily, once Dick finally opened his eyes. "You okay?"

"I... _Yeah_ .. God, Roy... I feel like..." he quit talking, not having the words, and just shook his head, trying to say it all with his eyes. "You... that was amazing..."

"Yeah? Good. You needed it...." He stroked his clean hand down Dick's side, eyes still gentle.

"...I didn't know it, but, yeah..." he shifted, and flushed crimson as he felt the weight of Roy's cock hard against his hip. "Jesus!! Roy, I--"

Roy cut that bullshit off with a hard kiss. "Shove it, Wing... it's all right. I didn't exactly give you a choice..."

"But, I sh--"

Roy cut him off again, nipping at his lip as he kissed him this time. "I said shove it. I could've brought myself off with you--trust me, it would've been easy! I didn't. My choice. You are not allowed to feel guilty, okay?" //No brooding! None! Knock it off!//

"I... okay... why?"

"I didn't want this to be over that fast, for one; and I'd like to fuck you, for another..." Roy shrugged, petting his arm this time.

Blue eyes blinked up at him in shock, then he nodded. "I... could go for that... sheesh, Roy, you don't mince words, do ya?" //Ok, make that be fucked by...// he amended the earlier thought from the club.

"This is news? If it is, we have issues..."

"No, it's not.... so, can I get you to let me _go_ for round two?"

Roy arched a brow at him, gold eyes laughing. "I don't know... think you can make it worth it? I kind of like having you all tied down, former Boy Wonder... You're just far too pretty, all tied down and begging...."

Another shiver ran through Dick's body at the words and tone. "You--oh, I could make it worth your while, Harper... I'm very, _very_ good, after all... but if you'd rather have me all tied up and helpless so you have to do all the work... who am I to object?"

"A complete and utter _flirt_ is who you are, short pants... and just for that, you're _definitely _ staying tied down." //So that's how we're gonna play this round, huh? Sassy, like usual? Ok, works for me.// Roy bit his shoulder gently, then shifted far enough away to get his hand into the drawer of his bedside table, coming back with lube and condoms in the same move. He dropped them on the other side of Dick's body and went back to petting him, switching between the pads of his fingers and his nails, making the other man moan all over again.

Dick gasped, writhing, "You... are so..."

"Damned good?" Roy quipped as he played his way down Dick's body, fingers flickering over old ticklish spots just enough to make Dick squirm in distraction--and used the opportunity to get out of the rest of his clothing--and into a condom before he forgot. He kept teasing until Dick was _more_ than interested again, then coated his fingers in slick and slid his hand to Dick's ass, pressing a finger against his entrance--

Dick gasped, bucking into that, body opening without his conscious control, submitting like he had the entire night to the strength in that body and those blazing green-gold eyes. //Yeah, Roy... come on... you don't have to take it easy on me...//

Roy hissed as that was so easy, and moved to kiss him, balancing on his free arm as he kept his other hand moving, sliding a second finger into him almost as easy as the first. //Jesus, Dick, what do you do, keep a set of toys?// he wondered, then put it out of his head as he kept his hand moving--a moment's thought, and he matched the pace of his fingers and his tongue, lying beside him.

Dick moaned into the kiss, bracing to ride those fingers--and felt Roy's position with a clarity he'd been missing for a while. Taking advantage of the slack in his bindings and his natural flexibility, he _twisted_, hooking one leg around to wrap over Roy's hips, and dragged the archer over him, breaking the kiss as he did. "Would you please quit playing around and fuck me, Harper?"

Roy yelped as Dick _somehow_ twisted around and yanked him between his legs--and carefully worked his hand free of Dick's body, laying with his cock pressed down along Dick's ass, hips caught by that strong leg. That demand was _so_ his brother... He shifted to brace with that arm as well, rolling his hips until he was pressed--just barely--into that tight heat. "If you're so determined to show off how flexible you are, circus brat, why don't you get your legs up over my shoulders instead of on my hips?"

Dick tossed his head, amused, and did just that... then used the position to push himself further down onto Roy's cock, biting his lip at the burn. "Oh... god... Roy... c'mon... fuck me... C'mon, Harper, move..."

Roy moved again, shifting more onto his knees to free his hands and slid them down to Dick's hips, feeling the curve of that body... and pressed into him, slow and easy, doubling his body over to kiss his partner again, trusting Dick's strength to keep him from falling as they moved, deep and long and easy, just like the kiss.... //Ah, god, Dick, so good...//

It didn't take very long sliding in and out of that hot, slick heat before he started to lose his mind... He rolled his shoulders until Dick took the hint and slid his legs back down to his hips, letting Roy lie chest to chest with him as he moved harder, deeper, breaking the kiss to pant softly for air. He heard Dick cry out, but it was pleasure, not pain, and that was really all he noticed--the cries came with each move, and _god_...

He knew he was saying god only knew what as he felt himself lose control, hips snapping brutally hard as his vision whited out--praying Dick'd forgive him for just _using_ him like this, barely managing to brace himself enough to keep from falling on his best friend.

It took a minute or three, but he came back to himself slowly and rolled his hips to slide out of him, then let his weight slip down over him--and realized to his utter shock that somehow, he'd dragged Dick over with him. He tilted his head to study Dick's face, and saw nothing but staccato breathing and that same look of pleasure. //Oh, thank God...// he said quietly, pressing his lips to Dick's shoulder before he moved to get rid of the latex around him. That done, he set to getting Dick's wrists untied.

*~*~

Dick came back to himself about the same time, and once Roy had his wrists untied, he wrapped his arms around the archer, fastening one hand in his hair. //No.... Stay?//

"Hey... easy..." Roy said gently, settling them so he held Dick pinned against the bed, watching his eyes as he did--when they slid closed, accompanied by a sigh, he shook his head. Too easy to tell Dick was worried about the chance of his disappearance. Too easy to get from that to a near-burning hate for anyone that would treat his best friend like that--and far, far too easy to want to stay like this, now that he knew it was possible. After all, he'd loved the man pinned to his bed for years. Not in the silly, school-year "omg do you think he LIKE likes me?" fashion, but the deep, constant love of a warrior for a kindred soul. They'd been rivals, comrades, best friends, each other's backup since they should have been playing dumb pranks and throwing footballs at recess, not trying to stop the 'supervillain of the week' and struggling with impossible mentors--it built a bond between them that they didn't talk about, but both knew was there.

Then, one night, they'd made it something more. They'd cut open their hands and sworn an oath by Donna's gods and by those of his people to be there for each other forever. Those bonds were sometimes all that kept him going. He'd faced the fact that he didn't care about gender half as much as he did personality years ago, and knew beauty in either sex knocked him off his feet.... but he'd never let himself admit to _wanting_ Dick Grayson--mainly for fear it would scare him away.

He shook his head to get rid of the woolgathering thoughts, and just watched his friend, his brother... his lover.

*~*~

Dick let himself just lie there, holding on //oh, admit that you're clinging,// a sarcastic voice commented. He _was_ clinging, he slowly admitted. It was really, really good to not need to worry about abandonment, discovery, or worried comments over his scars--and Roy's solid, greater weight pinning him down was a comfort in many other ways--several of which he would never admit. He was exhausted, mentally and physically, but they--he snorted at himself--needed to talk. //God, I sound like a girl... and I'm the Heir Apparent of the King of "This-Discussion's-Over"...what am I _thinking_ ?//

==That you love him, and you do need to talk,== that other voice replied.

After a few minutes, he opened his eyes again and looked up at Roy, finding green eyes and that same gentle look. "Hey," he said quietly. "Thanks..."

"For what, ma--no, not the time for me to be joking around. You're welcome, Dick. Anything you need, always. You know that, right?"

"...Yeah, but... this is a little beyond the call of friendship..." //Try a lot...//

"Not really. Okay, yeah, I wouldn't do this with Wally, but... you and I are different." He slid his hand down to find Dick's, and dragged a finger over the half-moon scar in the fleshy part of Dick's palm. "Don't tell me you've forgotten what we promised. I love you. Have for years--it was love you or hate you, and I like you too much for that. Am I _in_ love with you?" He paused a minute, and shrugged. "I don't know. What I do know is I care too much about you to try to cage you... but you've always got a place here."

Dick just looked up at him, watching the unexpectedly serious cast to his best friend's face... and absorbing the words. //God, Roy... you...// If it had been a woman talking to him, he'd have kissed her--he decided that would work for Roy, too, and arched up, using the hand wound through his hair to pull him down and kiss him.

Once he finally let go, the redhead laughed softly. "What was that for--not that I mind!"

"For... understanding. For being there with me on most of the worst nights of my life, for not giving up on me... for _this_..." and he reversed Roy's grip on his hand to stroke his brother's matching scar. "...and for the way you've gotten too damned good at knowing what I need. That was... perfect... Though I _really_ want to know how you..." he shut himself up.

"That's what oath-brothers are for, and... How I what?"

Dick felt himself start turning red--and clamped down on the reaction before it could go any further. "Never mind, man. It's nothing."

"_You_'re blushing, Robbie. It's not nothing. Now tell me what you want to know, huh?"

Dick just glared at him a minute, then sighed. "How you knew that what I wanted and what I _needed _ were two completely different things."

"Oh. That... the ways you reacted, Dick, nothing more. Basic body language... you got hotter every time I did something that took away your control. Combine that with the way you were leaning into every touch you got, and it drew a rather nasty little diagram for me about how alone--and how lonely--you've been. You deserve better than a quick back-alley fuck--or however you've been spending your... recreational time. So... I made sure you got it."

"...I'm _that _ obvious?"

"Nah. Just to me--I know what to look for..." the end of the word was a massive yawn. "Ok... can we table this, and get some sleep?"

"Yeah... I think so.... Things really haven't changed much, have they?"

"Not really... other than that I may be more likely to grab you and kiss you the next time you do something stupidly heroic than pull the usual scream myself blue in the face.... but probably not. It might amuse the people that know us.... and it might get me killed."

"Who do--oh. Yeah, maybe..." the dark look in Dick's eyes was enough to get even a sleepy Roy's attention.

"Is _he _ who you were upset about?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah.... same thing it's been since I was 17... can we not talk about it? I--" he yawned, this time, "--really am tired. Is the security system up?"

"I'm not sure... but I don't think I armed it. Let me go fix that."

Dick let go, and Roy slid out of bed long enough to re-arm the security from the computer in the corner and shut off the lights, then the archer came back to bed, curling around Dick with a yawn. "Go to sleep, 'Wing. Security's on, and I'll hear anything else.We'll see how things look in the morning, hm?"

Dick chuckled, and twisted slightly, settling himself securely against Roy in a 'you're not going anywhere' move, and slowly let himself fall asleep. Curled around his spine, Roy kissed the back of his neck lightly, then went to sleep himself.


End file.
